SCT, SHS win big in state theatre competition

January 16, 2011

Starkville Community Theatre and Starkville High Schoolâ€™s Drama Department on Sunday proved that when it comes to having a flair for the dramatic, few do it better than those locally.
Both SCTâ€™s production of Dick Marcottâ€™s play, â€śThe Dixie Swim Club,â€ť and the SHS production of Kenneth Scollonâ€™s â€śThe Purple Fanâ€ť won numerous honors in competition over the weekend at the Mississippi Theatre Association Festival in Meridian.
Both productions advanced to regional competition at the 62nd annual Southeastern Theatre Conference in Atlanta, Ga., March 2 to 6.
SCT and SHS received the awards during the MTA Festival luncheon on Sunday.
Retired Starkville High School drama teacher and long-time SCT member and director Paula Mabry was honored with the MTAâ€™s first-ever award for Outstanding Contribution to Theatre in Mississippi.
SCT President Alison Stamps, who attended the MTA Festival and conference over the weekend, said the awards won by SHS and SCT are indicative of the strong community support for the fine arts.
â€śIt just goes to show that when you have the support, the quality performances will keep coming,â€ť said Stamps. â€śThere was some really quality theatre performed in Meridian this weekend, so itâ€™s quite an honor that both SCT and Starkville High were recognized and chosen to go on to regional competition.â€ť
â€śThis is representative of the excellence in our community and the emphasis we place on the arts and arts education.â€ť
The recognition for Mabry is especially significant, Stamps said.
â€śWe are all so thrilled for Paula,â€ť Stamps said. â€śShe is a big part of the reason why theatre is so strong in Starkville.â€ť

SCTâ€™s MTA winning streak continues

In the community theatre division, SCTâ€™s production was named runner-up for the Warren McDaniel Award for the Best Production, which went to Hattiesburgâ€™s Just Over the Rainbow Theatre for its production of â€śDriving Miss Daisy.â€ť
The top two productions in the community theatre competition division advance to SETC competition. The win for SCT will make the fourth time in five years that an SCT show has advanced to regional competition.
In addition to the best production runner-up award, SCTâ€™s â€śThe Dixie Swim Clubâ€ť also won best actress honors for Madeline Golden, best supporting actress honors for Terry McDowell and the best costume design award.
â€śThe Dixie Swim Clubâ€ť is the story of five Southern women, whose friendships began many years ago on their college swim team.
The five gather for a weekend every August at the same beach cottage on North Carolinaâ€™s Outer Banks to catch up, laugh, and meddle in each otherâ€™s lives andÂ to recharge their relationships.
The action of the show focuses on four of those weekends over a 33-year period.
The showâ€™s director, Lyle Tate, said he and his cast were pleased with the showâ€™s performance Saturday afternoon at Mississippi Stateâ€™s Riley Center in downtown Meridian.
â€śAll our remarks from the adjudicators were encouraging, and most comments dealt with technical things we can improve. They said wonderful things about the acting performances,â€ť Tate said. â€śWeâ€™re just excited we get to do it again and take it on the road to Atlanta.â€ť
For McDowell and Golden, the acting honors they received were not the first time either actress had been recognized in MTA competition.
In previous MTA years, McDowell has won All-Star Cast honors and shared the best supporting actress honors with her castmates in SCTâ€™s production of â€śThe Octet Bridge Clubâ€ť in 1986.
â€śIâ€™m calling this one my first individual award. Iâ€™m so thrilled. I was beside myself and crying when they called my name,â€ť McDowell said. â€śWeâ€™re all just as happy as we can be about going to SETC, especially since the competition was stiff this year. Weâ€™re not through swimming yet.â€ť
For Golden, her win as best actress on Sunday marked the second time she won that award. She previously won the best actress award for her role as Vera Sanders in â€śSmoke on the Mountainâ€ť in 2007.
â€śItâ€™s so wonderful. The best part of this is being on stage with these friends. We had so much fun and got a great audience response,â€ť Golden said. â€śWeâ€™re so excited to be going to Atlanta.â€ť

SHS win a significant accomplishment

In the MTA Festivalâ€™s high school division, SHSâ€™ win of the Dominic J. Cunetto Award for Production of â€śThe Purple Fanâ€ť marks the first time since 1997 that the school has advanced to regional competition at SETC.
Based on an Asian folk tale that Scollon adapted, â€śThe Purple Fanâ€ť focuses on a peasant boy, Jing Ho, as he searches for the missing prince, who was kidnapped years ago.
Traveling with the boy is a ghost, Jug Lui, who witnessed the kidnapping. Jing Ho uncovers a magical purple fan, which will ring bells when it hits the true prince on the head.
The show is unique because it uses cast members to create the scenery for telling the story on stage.
â€śThe kids did such a good job. It was the best performance weâ€™ve ever done of the show,â€ť said SHS drama teacher Mandy Kinney.
In addition to its first place honors, â€śThe Purple Fanâ€ť also won the award for best scenic design/concept and best ensemble cast. Three students â€” Akane Little, Victoria Hearn and Rex Ames â€” were named to the All-Star Cast.
Several SHS students also competed for awards in individual threatrical events as part of the MTA festival. Those winners include:
â€˘ Female musical solo performance â€” Mary Kate Hughes, first place; Sarah Beth Sewell, second place.
â€˘ Poster design â€” George Bennett, third place.
â€˘ Male musical solo performance â€” Davis Richardson, first place; Caleb Jackson, third place.
â€˘ Musical duet performance â€” Lauren and Mary Kate Hughes, second place.
â€˘ Female monologue performance â€” Laura Kathryn Lindsay.
â€˘ Group scene performance â€” Nick Bell, Ti Davis, Colin Damms and Mike Klaskala, third place.
â€˘ Best actor, 10-Minute Play Festival â€” George Bennett.
â€˘ Best director, 10-Minute Play Festival â€” Rachael Damms.
â€˘ All-Star Cast, 10-Minute Play Festival â€”Â Hunter Smith.
â€˘ Best Props, 10-Minute Play Festival â€” Rachael Damms.
â€˘ Best Poster, 10-Minute Play Festival â€” Rachael Damms.
â€śI am really proud of these kids. I am so floored by all these awards,â€ť Kinney said.